Most current assault weapons, including assault rifles, are designed for the military and law enforcement users to quickly raise the weapon from a carrying position to a shouldered firing position in a single motion. Military and law enforcement users still face a number of lethal close quarters combat situations during which the assault weapon will be held in a different position that is known as the bayonet and close quarters combat position wherein the assault weapon is held across the chest and not shouldered. The bayonet and close quarters combat position is suitable for those situations when an opponent or intruder is directly in front of the user and the conventional front bayonet points in front of the assault weapon near the target and no significant movement is needed to move the conventional front bayonet to the opponent. However, when the user is in an equally lethal close combat or ambush situation with a rear or sideways opponent, the user holding the assault weapon across the chest will be unable to use the conventional front bayonet without rapidly moving the entire assault weapon from the front to the rear or side positions. Using a conventional assault weapon will permit the user to move the assault weapon butt stock rearward or sideways in order to club or bludgeon the opponent to the rear or side, but that maneuver would only be painful but not lethal to the opponent. Thus, there has been a long-standing need for the military and law enforcement user holding a weapon in the standard bayonet and close quarters combat position to rapidly position a bayonet behind or beside the user. In these encounters, using the conventional front bayonet may be inadequate, cumbersome and time-consuming.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art assault weapon 10 in the carrying position. The prior art assault weapon 10 is equipped with conventional butt stock 11, pistol grip 12, trigger 13 and front bayonet 14. In the carrying position, the user's firing hand holds the pistol grip 12 with the index finger on the trigger 13 in preparation for firing a response to a sudden and unexpected attack or ambush where the user must rapidly switch from the carrying position to the shouldered firing position. Arrow 15 represents the upward movement from the carrying position to the shouldered firing position.
Referring now to FIG. 2, where the same numerals are employed for like structures, the military user is depicted holding the prior art assault weapon 10 in the bayonet and close quarters combat position, with a conventional front bayonet pointing directly in front of the user. If the user is initially holding the weapon 10 in the close quarters combat position across the user's body and must then fire the weapon 10 quickly because of a sudden enemy attack or ambush, the user must rapidly reposition his firing hand from the conventional butt stock 11 to the pistol grip 12 and trigger 13.
FIGS. 1 and 2 clearly illustrate the problems, shortcomings and deficiencies of the prior art assault weapon with a front bayonet by showing that the military or law enforcement user holding the assault weapon across the chest in the bayonet and close quarters combat position is unable to effectively use the front bayonet against an opponent situated behind, or next to, the user without moving the entire assault weapon toward the opponent in order to point the front bayonet at the opponent. Loss of life or injury in tactical situations can easily result from the user failing to quickly move the front bayonet against an ambushing opponent or intruder. Up until now, a user holding the prior art assault weapon 10 in the close quarters combat position with a conventional front bayonet faces certain obstacles in fighting an opponent behind the user with a front bayonet during an ambush or close quarters fighting. Other problems, shortcomings and deficiencies arising from holding the prior art assault weapon 10 in the bayonet and close quarters combat carrying position include time lost in moving the firing hand from the prior art butt stock to the pistol grip 12 and trigger 13, as well as potential injury to the knuckles and hands that are left exposed and unprotected.
Thus there has been a long-felt need for an assault weapon with a butt stock allowing the user to simultaneously hold the weapon in the bayonet and close quarters combat position, keep the firing hand ready to pull the trigger and possess the capability to rapidly extend a bayonet behind the user without the cumbersome, time-consuming and dangerous movement of the upper body, legs and entire assault weapon around to point the bayonet at the opponent or intruder. The present invention fulfills this long-felt need with a close combat butt stock and blade apparatus for assault weapons that solves the long-standing problems, shortcomings and deficiencies of prior art weapons by providing a rear bayonet in the butt stock that is hidden by a slideable cover, with the rear bayonet being readily extendable by sliding the slideable cover. The present invention further comprises a close quarters combat assembly comprising a rear bayonet, a close combat carrying handle, a second trigger and a hand shield built into the assault weapon butt stock, allowing the user to much more efficiently slide the cover back and expose the rear bayonet, as well as holding the weapon's butt stock with a firing hand much closer to a second trigger allowing the user to fire the weapon much more quickly than before, without suffering from the problems, shortcomings and deficiencies of prior art assault weapons.